


The Black Grimoire: Sisterhood of Shadows

by NightofClaws13



Category: OC story - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, Assassination, Dark, Fluff, Multi, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 17:38:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4634256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightofClaws13/pseuds/NightofClaws13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After defending herself from a brutal attack, an adolescent girl named Shizu, falls unconscious, waking inside a place called The Black Cathedral, where she soon learns that the Cathedral is home to a notorious sisterhood of assassins. Taken ownership over by a strange, white-haired girl named Izaya (Pronounced Izz-aya), Shizu soon learns to live the life of the sisterhood, with all its oddities. Fighting from the ground up, she seeks to rise through the ranks, and become the 8th elite, but is there something else going on between her and Izaya? Or perhaps in the sisterhood? To change their way of life for good? Only time will tell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. White Hair Under Starlight

The Black Grimoire. They say the book was written by Death herself. Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re not. I do know that as I stared at the gigantic skin-wrapped black tome atop its pedestal, cast in sharp relief by the light of the full moon, I felt an unearthly chill creep down my entire body. No question, this thing was simply not meant to exist. I could feel the world and reality revolting against the book’s presence, and the book liked it. It fed on the fear, the hate, and something much darker and obscure.

I bowed my head in reverie and recited the customary incantation beneath my breath, before departing from the book’s presence. My mind was collected, my body calm, and my duty laid out before me like a newly scribed page. 

Kill the killer. That was my contract. My target was the serial killer that had been plaguing the streets of the relatively nearby capital, New Providence. The said killer had been at large for a few months now, evading the authorities with shrewd accuracy and precision. Despite their various attempts to apprehend him, he had remained highly elusive. Finally, a local elite with… Let’s say ‘underground privileges’, contacted us with the contract and necessary payment in tow. Naturally, my Matron had sent me to get the job done. 

This will be child’s play, I thought. This killer, however uncanny, is inexperienced and sloppy. Finding and eliminating him should be the easiest part.

The forest yielded to my passage as it did every time, and I was soon treading out of the ancient wood, and into a rural farmland. Eventually, the rural farmlands gave in the the outskirts of an urban province. This was first evident when the glow of the city appeared on the horizon, and then by the decreasing farmlands. 

My travel was greatly hastened by my personal Grimoire, which I called Kage, meaning Shadow. One of Kage’s best features among the many it had, was that I could perform certain rituals and enchantments that I recorded. One of these was Niku E Kage, or Flesh to Shadow. It allowed me to literally melt into a shadow and travel a great distance in a short time by ‘shadow jumping’. Soon, using this ritual, I was soon well within the confines of New Providence.

It was like a whole different world in New Providence, in comparison with the Black Cathedral. I couldn’t get over how large it was, as well as all the lights, commotion, and hubbub. I always felt so out of my element here, and it disturbed me. I materialized in a dark alleyway, and proceed to make a mistake that I often made when venturing to a city. I walked out into the middle of the street, and was saved by my own reaction timing from being pulverised into roadkill by a speeding car.

Damn it, I always forget about the cars! I shook my head in disgust of my own rookie mistake. After a moment of recuperation, I decided to take to the roofs. Scaling a building was no problem, even a skyscraper, which is what I decided to traverse. I traveled straight up the side as a shadow, and materialized within moments, standing atop skyscraper. The cityscape was laid out before me, all blaring lights, sounds, and confusion. At least, this all seemed like unorderly confusion to me. Too bright, too many… cars. Too many people- witnesses. 

I perched on the edge of the skyscraper, wind billowing my cloak and whipping my pail hair about me. I scanned the bustling streets, looking for some sign of my target. Night was afoot, and the full moon was out. The perfect night for a killer to prowl. Like myself. I snickered at my own joke. Two killers, two targets. One killer is after a victim, while the other is after the first killer. 

I lifted Kage into the air before me, and let it hover there. The Grimoire floated of its own energy, suspended over empty air. I closed my eyes, and placed my hand on its cover. As I opened my eyes, the symbol 影 appeared on Kage’s cover in shimmering violet, and the Grimoire opened, and began to flip through its pages. In a moment, it stopped at the page I wanted, and I quickly perused it, before setting up my incantation. I closed my eyes once more and focused, drawing forth my energy. Finally, I spoke the incantation, word per word with care. In a moment, I opened my eyes, and found that everything had been sharpened, and the lights, lessened. I rescanned the cityscape with my new sharpened vision, and almost easily found my target. He was walking down a sidestreet, hands in pockets, and a simple knife tucked in his back pocket.

I held up my hand to the sky, fingers outstretched, and whispered, “Come, Ketsueki Toge.” There was a blair of purplish light, and I felt the shaft of my weapon materialize in my grasp. I tightened my grip, and brought Ketsueki Toge down in a shimmering arc, impaling its 3 and ½ foot blade into the metal plating at my feet. 

The killer was walking at a brisk pace now, and I knew what he had in plan. About thirty feet up from his current position, was a teenage girl, yapping on her phone and not paying attention to anything. I shook my head. Stupid bitch. That kind of non-perception will get you killed easily. I was half-tempted to walk away and leave the dumb girl to her fate, but I realized now was the perfect opportunity. The killer was distracted, and certainly wouldn't be expecting what was about to happen.

I turned back to Ketsueki Toge, sticking straight up in the metal like a glorified lightning rod, and sighed. Here goes something. Certainly not nothing. I slammed my palms together and closed my eyes. My body and and my weapon melted into shadow once more.

After a moment, I stepped out of the shadow of a tree, directly opposite the killer’s side of the street. He was now at least 15 feet from the girl, and closing fast. His hand grasped the knife, now bared out in the open. The girl, of course, took no notice whatsoever, and continued to talk into her cell.

I acted quickly, feeling Ketsueki Toge in my grasp, and bolted across the street. No cars this time. I leveled Ketsueki Toge with the man’s sternum and lunged with a sweeping stab from the side. The killer was caught completely by surprise, and didn’t make a sound as the shimmering blade passed clear through his sternum like a knife stabbing butter. Before any blood was spilt, I closed my eyes, and I melted into the shadows, dragging the shish-kabobed killer along with me. 

I reappeared atop the earlier skyscraper, dangling the killer in empty air on Ketsueki Toge’s blade. The killer finally made a gurgling sound, and blood oozed from his mouth and chest. His eyes rolled around wildly, and he managed to look back at me, fear in his gaze. I smiled, and shook my head, saying, “I hate to break it to you, but you are a moron. Your killings? Easily traceable. Your logic? Sound, but rookie. Your life?-” I twisted the blade around in his chest, and then pulled it free with a spray of blood. “-Extinguished.” The killer’s corpse began to fall, a red mist trailing from his wound and openings. The corpse plummeted, growing smaller, and smaller, and smaller, as it sped towards the ground. I began to turn away, but I pulled myself back for another look, using my sharpened vision to see, just as the killer’s corpse splattered on the pavement, limbs and gore flying everywhere. 

I smiled to myself, and finally turned to walk away. I held out my hand in front of me, and let Ketsueki Toge dissolve into violet mist. My Kage slipped back into its holster on my side. Another contract to add to my Grimoire, and to the Black Grimoire, and another pat on the back and kiss on the cheek from my Matron.


	2. Gunmetal Girl

I was on my way back, when something caught my senses. I heard a few murmured words, then a gunshot, followed finally by a little girl's attempt at a scream. I melted into the shadows. I appeared in the darkness, out of sight. I saw a little girl, blood streaming from her neck. She laid on the ground motionless. Three men were facing her, and the man in front had a smoking revolver. I heard him speak.

“I don't know why we're getting paid this much for just this little girl, and why it couldn't have just been one of us. That was too easy.” He laughed. “Let's go guys. I want to get paid.”

I was about to leave, when I saw the young girl stir. Her eyes flashed open and rose to her feet. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a piece of metal. With a flick of her wrist, that piece of metal flipped around to reveal a balisong. She faced her assailants, and I caught a glimpse of the bullet wound. It went clean through, and she was still standing. She ran towards the three men, and they turned around to face her, fear and confusion rushed through their eyes. The main man reached for his gun, but it was too late. His shirt was sliced open, and a long red line began to appear, before blood sprayed from the line. Before he fell to his knees, the girl was already on the second man. With a quick motion, his head fell back, only attached by his spine, blood spraying from the top of his torso. By the time this one hit the floor, the first man's organs were splayed out across the alley. The third man was more lucky than the previous two, and he managed to grab hold of this girl, and restrained her. He screamed at her.

“You little bitch! You killed my friends! I'm going to make your death slow-” he screamed in agony. I glanced down and saw that the little girl had kicked him between the legs. She fell from his grasp, regained control of her knife, and shoved it up under his chin. 

She removed the knife, and swayed playfully over to the first man. She spoke in a childish tone. “Aww, you thought you could kill me. Too bad. I'm still alive, and your internals are spilled across the pavement. Oh how the tables have turned!” Her voice was scratchy when she spoke loudly. She brought her hand back. “Now, time for you to die.” Within a split second, the knife was embedded into the man's temple with a spray of blood. She yanked the bloodied blade from the new corpse, and took a few steps back. Her breathing was heavy, and I saw that most of the blood strewn across her clothing was her own. Her skin was a ghostly white from blood loss. She fell backwards, and hit the ground with a plop. I walked over to her, and looked over her features. She had gunmetal black hair that fell to her collar, freckles dotting her forearms, and her still open eyes were a deep emerald green. Blood oozed from her neck and stained the top half of her shirt.

I looked down at her, wondering just what to do with her now. She was bleeding out, and I had seen her handle herself in combat. Eventually, I came to a consensus. I scooped her up in my arms, and willed my magic forth, invoking Kage. In a moment, I was shrouded in shadow, and quickly spirited away from the scene, the unconscious girl in my arms. In a few minutes or so, I arrived back in front of the black Cathedral, and knelt down, my cloak settling around me. After a moment’s rest, and I got up, cradling the girl in my arms, and marched through the great doors, which opened for me. I placed the girl down on a pew near to The Black Grimoire, making sure her wounds were sealed shut with magic, before going to find the healer, and to see what my Matron had to say about my find.

 

The girl stirred, starting to come awake from her long sleep. When I had brought her in, my Matron had ordered her put to death immediately, but as per my reward for a contract, I insisted that she be left alive and given a chance to thrive in our ranks. My Matron had liked that idea, after I had informed her of the girl’s accomplishments. Three dead, and she had taken a bullet through the neck prior to the fight. This one would definitely succeed, if only people here were willing to nurture her talent, and make it grow to great prospects. 

She awakened, sat up, and looked bleary-eyed at her surroundings. At once she was livid with fear, eyes darting about the interior of the Great Black Cathedral. I was sitting behind her, perched up on the bust of one of the obsidian gargoyles that dotted not only outside, but inside the Cathedral. The one I sat upon was my favorite, Nefermindias. I had named him myself, of course.

The girl’s terrified expression was all too real. Thankfully for her, she was resting on a pew, rather than the alter of the Black Grimoire. Sleeping on that alter would certainly have made her never wake again. I hopped off of Nefermindias, and strode over to her pew, silent as a panther. She hadn’t heard me coming until I slammed my heel on the floor to get her attention. She spun towards me, eyes wide and scared. I flashed her my best smile and held out a finger. “So the sleeping girly wakes! Tell me, what’s your name?” I offered my finger to her, encouraging her to grab hold. After a moment, she complied, hesitant with each action. Her words came in a trembling whisper.

"Sh-Shizu. Shizu Kurokasai. W-where…”

I cut her off. “Shizu? That’s a pretty name! So tell me, what do you remember from right before you awoke here?” I flashed her another brilliant smile.

Her eyes shot open in surprise, and her hands went to her neck, feeling around where she had gotten shot. Once she realized that she had been healed from her wound, she spoke again. "I remember getting shot in the neck, and then pulling out my balisong. I… I remember killing a man… no… three men. Then I passed out. That's the last thing I remember."

Suddenly, I moved forward and hugged her to my chest. She shuddered in surprise and a contained reaction. I patted her back soothingly. “That’s just fine, Shizu. It’s alright, everything's alright. Now, would you like to get some rest?”

"Not particularly. I don't feel tired. But may I ask a question?"

I moved back and put my hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes, another smile touching my face. “Of course. Ask anything you’d like.”

"What's your name? I'd like to thank you formally."

I nodded. “My name is Izaya! It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and more the pleasure to begin a developing friendship!” I ended with a smile and cocked my head to the side.

"The pleasure is mine. Thank you, Izaya, for saving my life."

“Not a problem! More than happy to, anytime!” I slightly tightened my grasp on her shoulders. “Now, I am sure this has been quite mind blowing for you, so why don’t you take a rest? I’ll stay right here, so you can feel at ease.”

"Thank you again." The girl curled herself into a ball, and within a few seconds she was asleep. After I was sure that she was completely asleep, I stood and paced over to Nefermindias and resumed my perch upon his shoulder. I placed an elbow on his bowed head and leaned my chin on my hand.

I muttered, “That’s that.” I cast my gaze at the girl. “Welcome to the sisterhood. Maybe I’ll actually consider a friendship… If you survive.” I chuckled to myself and resigned to my internal thoughts, letting the daydreams come.


	3. Play My Game

She awoke later that night. I watched as she blinked the sleep from her eyes and yawned. After a quick look around, which did her little since the Cathedral was shrouded in gloom, she wandered around a little and almost tripped over the stairs at the foot of the great dias. She got to one knee on thee step from her fall, and I smiled in the dark. There she was, kneeling before The Black Grimoire.

I moved out of the shadows and glided up behind her, placing one hand on her shoulder, and another over her mouth to stifle the noise of surprise. Her eyes widened as she turned around, but grew soft again once she saw me. I gave her a brilliant smile. “Hia, Shizu! I see you woke up! How did you sleep?”

"Like a rock. Where am I anyway?"

I shrugged with a nonchalant smile. “You could be here. You could be there. You could be really anywhere!” I laughed good-naturedly.

Shizu chuckled quietly. "Thanks for the philosophy lesson, but in all seriousness, where am I?"

I fained surprise. “Oh, you were being serious? Aw, I’m sorry…” I looked down at my feet.

"No, no it's fine. I just want to see if I can get home from here."

I laughed. “Oh, well that’s just too funny! But, in any case, welcome warmly to The Great Black Cathedral of the Grimoire!” My voice echoed about the enormous stone walls and bounced off the vaulted ceilings.

"Great. I have no idea where that is, but, what's so funny?"

I turned to look at her sideways, and switched expressions to my infamous ‘black widow scrutinizes a butterfly’ expression. “The fact that you thought you could leave, of course!”

Shizu rapidly patted down her pockets, and seemed worried. As I saw her frantic movements, I plucked her balisong from my pocket and twirled it about expertly in between my fingers.

I shook my finger at her with a smile. “Is this what you were looking for? It’s a shame you can’t have it back though.”

Shizu stood up and spun around. "Give it back."

“Aw, is little Shizu being pouty? Tsk, tsk.” I gave the balisong another twirl. She made a motion to snatch it from me. In a split second, I swung up on top of Nefermindias’s head, and clucked my tongue again, still twirling the balisong.

"What do you want? If you wanted me dead, you would've left me to die, and obviously you're good at what you do.”

I chuckled. “So, what is it you think I do, darling?” 

"Judging from everything I've seen you do, you're either a glorified acrobat, or an assassin."

I shrugged and smirked. “I could be one. I could be both. If you want to know, let’s play a little game. If you win, I’ll answer any questions you have. If not, well-” I smiled wide. “I’ll have no reason to explain anything to a corpse.” Her eyes widened with surprise, but then narrowed.

"How do I play this game of yours?"

“It’s simple. All you have to do is run. Run as fast as you can. The doors of the Cathedral will open, and if you can escape through them, you win. Now, my task is simpler. I must catch you. You can think of this as a game of tag, except-” I extended the balisong. “It’s tag with knives. This game is so much fun, that people are just dying to get a copy of the rules.” I chuckled.

"When does it start?" Her tone was cold.

“Now. I’ll give you a one-minute head start!” I leaned against Nefermindias’s wing lazily. I waved my hand. “Go on, shoo. I’ll come and catch you in a minute.”

Shizu stumbled in her first few steps to the door, but gained a running pace. She broke out into a full on run, and I watched in amusement as she tried to weave her way through the pews and statuary. After a minute, she was nearing the doors. I sighed and got to my feet, standing on Nefermindias’ back. At once, I simply melted into the shadows.

Shizu made it full way to the great black doors, and was just about to reach for the door handle, but I grabbed her wrist. She jumped from the shock and turned towards me, eyes wavering in terror. I smiled my black widow smile. “Oh, looks like you lose.” 

In a quick motion, I reversed the balisong in my hand and slashed, lightning fast. Shizu flinched, clenching her eyes shut, and then squeaked in pain as the blade cut a little gash across her cheek. After a moment, she opened her eyes again, shaking and terrified. I lifted the bloodied balisong to my lips and gave it a good lick, running my tongue up the blade. I licked my lips and smiled at her again.

Shizu took a hesitant step back. She whimpered, "Y-you said the doors would open…"

“I did, but you never reached the handle.” I chuckled. “Silly you.”

Shizu started to tremble, eyes tearing up. "Izaya please, please don't kill me."

I grinned and moved in close to whisper in her ear. “Beg.”

Tears started to stream down her face, as she fell to her knees. She repeated herself over and over in a damaged voice, "Please, Izaya, don't kill me! I don't want to die! Please spare me! I'll do anything! Please, please!"

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, patting her back as she sobbed. “There, there, it’s alright.” She continued to sob. I continued, “It’s alright, it’s alright.” Shizu's bawling slowed down as she buried her head into my shoulder. After few minutes, her gasps became mere hiccups. I gave her one more pat, and rubbed her hair, before grasping both sides of her head and bringing her gaze up to meet mine. I grinned. “You said you’d do anything. Anything. You will follow up on that, no?”

Her voice became a whisper. "I promise, anything."

“Ah, there we go.” I moved in incredibly close. “It’s alright.” I turned my head to the side and kissed her on the cheek. “You’re mine now.”

"W-what does that mean?" 

I smiled and looked her directly in the eyes. “It means that you’re mine. I own you.” 

She gulped. "L-like a slave?"

I tapped my finger on my chin and furrowed my brows. “No, no, not like a slave. That’s far too nasty of a word. In fact, I will not call it by any word known, for no such word can describe this, I think. So, you’re just mine now. That’s all.”

"What would you have me do?"

I grew thoughtful. “Various things, I’d imagine. Depending on my mood. Other than that, I fully expect you to follow my every direction.”

"To the letter, I promise."

“Good, good. That’s just great, actually!” I flipped the balisong in the air and caught it. “Means I don’t have to ruin another pretty face.” I folded the balisong in, and pocketed it. “But you aren’t getting this back, I think. Don’t want you doing regrettable things with this, now.”

"I hope one day you can trust me enough to give it back."

I nodded. “I hope so too. But in the meantime, come with me. I’ll explain things to you, even though you lost.” I took her by the hand and lead her down the aisle. We walked past the gallery, and the altar, and then towards the quarters stairs. When we reached the stairs, I put her in front of me, and led her by the shoulders as we descended the steps. As we went down, I began to explain. “So, as I said before, you are in The Great Black Cathedral of the Grimoire. The Black Grimoire was the large book you may have seen on the alter. Luckily for you, you haven’t been inducted into the sisterhood yet, so you don’t have to say the incantation each time you pass before the alter. However, that may soon change, so do be prepared. Passing before the Black Grimoire without saying the proper incantation is a death sentence.” I peered over her shoulder and looked in her eyes the best I could. “You understand, no?”

"I understand. I assume the Black Grimoire is your sisterhood's sacred book?"

I nodded. “Correct. However, I would hardly call it sacred, or holy, or any of those vulgar words. No, our Grimoire is…” I paused for effect. “Unworldly.” I paused once more to let that sink in before continuing. “In any case, abide by the rules, and you’ll do just fine. I really don’t want you to die, seeing as now I have you as my own. Now, if you must know, I am not the only person living here. It is a sisterhood, after all.”

"So, where are the others?"

“They’re all down here, probably. Some are probably away on assignments. You never really know.” We alighted the bottom of the stairs and came to a two-way intersection. I steered Shizu right, and we continued down the dark stone corridor. I could feel Shizu’s cold sweat beneath my hands as she grew more and more nervous.

I continued my explanation. “So, indeed we are assassins, of a type. We kill for anyone who has the proper calling card, proper amount, and proper reward. If they don’t have one of these, they usually end up dead themselves. Now, let me show you something.” I traced a quick circle in the air and said, “Kage, come.” In an instant, my Grimoire floated up from its holster and alighted in the air before us. Shizu gasped in surprise, and jumped back into my arms.

I folded my arms around her and put my chin on her shoulder. Pointing with one finger, I made little motions, and Kage’s pages turned in sync. Shizu sighed, seeming to accept the abnormalities of our normal days. I leaned my head into hers and chortled, “This is Kage! She’s a personal Grimoire. Now, she has feelings, and can be quite temperamental at times. You might get your own, but if you don’t treat her right, she’ll treat you just the same. So, that’s pretty much it, actually. The rest you will learn as times progress, and in that manner, you’ll learn it better than I can tell you. Anyway…” I steered her down a side passage, and finally came to a thick door at the end of the hall. 

Shizu cocked her head. “What's this?” 

“My room. Now also yours.” I took her hand and placed it on the doorknob. “Go ahead, I want you to open it.”

"Wait, are we sharing the room?"

I nodded. “Of course, you’re mine. Is there a problem with that arrangement?”

"No, not at all. I was just wondering." She slowly turned the knob, and opened the door slowly.

Inside, faint light shone from the hallway into the dark interior. With a quick motion, I hustled Shizu through the door and shut it, making sure that the interior lock was secure. This left us in complete darkness, and I lead Shizu through the room until I could feel the rug beneath my feet. I pushed down on her shoulders and lead her to the ground. I whispered in her ear, “Just sit tight for a second.”

I walked over to where I knew my light was, and switched it on. The shaded lamp buzzed and flickered, but finally came on, illuminating my room. My room was pretty large, in comparison with most of the other rooms, and had lots of space for everything. Over in the right corner, there was a large, plush canopied bed, overflowing with pillows. In the corner opposite, was my wardrobe setup, consisting of two armours and two tall closets. They were made of my favorite cherry blossom wood, and inlaid with brass. The floor was mostly covered in three or four furry rugs, one of them a bit furrier than the rest, being that it was a full pelt of something I’d killed. The head of said creature hung on the wall on the left side, a few ornaments hanging from its black curving horns.

On the nightstand beside my bed, stood another shaded lamp, as well as my favorite hairbrush. The stone walls were mostly covered with draperies of different colors, most of them a warm, cozy, red. The room itself was relatively cool, so it never overheated. 

I spun a full circle and plopped down on my bed. I held out my hands to Shizu in excitement. “This is the room! Like it?”

She laughed nervously. "Yeah, it feels just like home."

I lowered my eyebrows, concerned. Standing, I walked over to her and crouched by her, wrapping my arms around her again. “Aw, that’s… Unfortunate. But, don’t get sad about this, it’s just that… You won’t be seeing your other home again. I can almost guarantee you that.”

"Yeah I assumed as such. But is there any chance you and I could stop by so I could grab a few things? I'm definitely going to need some clothing, and there are some items I don't wish to part with."

I thought for a moment, then squeezed her harder and nodded. “Alright. We’ll stop by when I get the chance. Which is probably soon. So, in the meantime-” I dragged her up onto her feet. “Why don’t you tell me all about yourself? Let’s have a seat on my bed.” Without waiting for an answer, I lead her over and we sat.

"Thanks. So, about myself… I'm twelve years old, but my childhood was taken when I was 9. My parents were murdered, but not before they taught me a few things about self defense. It seemed like they knew they were going to die, and they had to get me ready for the 'real' world. My parents were hunters, and fairly good ones. When we head back, I plan on grabbing their weapons, with your permission, of course. I've learned the ropes of shooting a rifle, but my father never let me use his pistol, because I wasn't big enough for it. I've been living in the house alone. I had one friend who probably thinks I'm dead. It was pretty quiet up until you found me. I have no idea why they came to kill me, all I know is that they were sloppy and disorganized. I'd be dead right now, if it wasn't for you."

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. So, in regard to me, oh I don’t know, saving your life… Can you at least give me a tiny* hug?”

Shizu quickly turned towards me, wrapped her arms around me, and squeezed tight. "Thank you again." She didn't seem to want to let go.

I, as it happened, was currently just fine with that arrangement. As a side note, I then remembered something pretty important. “Oh, yes that’s right. So, in regards to where you’ll be sleeping, you can have some of my pillows, and spare blanket, and the plush carpet as a bed, or…" I paused before this one, as I wasn’t sure how to approach it. “You can… Sleep in my bed. With me.”

She smiled. "I think I'll take the floor for now. No offense to you intended, but I'm not comfortable enough to do that yet. I might take up that offer later, if it still exists."

I nodded in understanding, and fell silent. Shizu stumbled over her words. "U-unless you w-want me to, of course." She started to blush slightly.

I felt my own face grow heated, which had never happened before. “Well… Um, you see… You don’t have to, but… I’d like it.” I stopped for a moment, and then quickly continued. “Because, I mean, your back might cramp if you sleep on the floor, and my bed is comfy, and the floor is cold even with the rugs, and the floor is at the perfect angle so the head on the wall looks like it’s looking at you every single second.” I took a breath. “But, I’ll leave that up to you.”

Shizu looked up at the beast's mounted head, and grimaced. "Yeah, you're right. That is creepy. I'll take option two. The bed seems so much better in comparison."

My eyes lit up, and my face flushed again. “Wait, you’re actually going to? How… That’s… I didn’t expect that, I’ll admit.”

"Well, you made the floor so unappealing, so yeah. I am going to."

I reassigned my mental checklist and smoothed over my poker face. “Excellent. No back cramps on my watch.”

"Thanks for looking out for me." She squeezed me a bit more, before finally letting go of me.

It was hard to keep my poker face, but I managed. “You’re welcome. I mean, after all, it wouldn’t do for you to fall into disrepair. You're mine now, so I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

She smiled at that. "So, you've heard my story. What about yours?"

I waved a hand. “You wouldn’t want to hear it. Maybe someday, not today.”

"So, other than my possessions, I don't have much back home, as you probably figured out. So, I have a question. Does the sisterhood have a school, or a relatively normal curriculum?"

I laughed. “Oh heck no! General school is corrupt in a hundred different ways, not to mention the expense. Therefor, new members are usually taken through the normal training course, but in your case, that’s different. If I decided to train you, then it will be me training you. You’re really lucky. I’m the third most powerful here.” I smiled and put my hand on her shoulder. “Except for my Matron, of course.”

"How old are you, anyway? You couldn't be more than fourteen at most."

I flushed a little. “Um, actually, I’m thirteen.”

Her mouth gaped open. "Third most powerful here, and you're thirteen? Wow. Wasn't expecting that. So, who's this Matron you keep regarding so highly?"

“She’s the head of our sisterhood. She is the only one allowed to scribe in the Black Grimoire, as well as the only one allowed to approve new members. In case you hadn’t guessed, you’ve been approved.”

"Well, I'm glad she approved. I know it's either join or die, but I think I'd want to join even if it wasn't for that. It seems nice here. Apart from the feeling of pure terror, of course."

I grinned. “Oh yeah, this place is ancient. There are so many secrets and unknowns about this place, that we don’t even know half of them, I’d wager. I mean, when I first moved into this room, I went about searching for secret passages or the like, and guess what? There was a loose stone on the wall, and when I pulled it out, there was a little niche that had a skull with sapphires for eyes inside.”

"Woah. This place is full of surprises."

I batted a hand at her sarcastically. “Oh wait until you see the midden. But don’t even get me started on the catacombs.”

"This place has catacombs? It's big enough to have catacombs?"

I shook my head. “Bigger still. I’ve heard that almost ¾ of the catacombs are blocked off for some reason, but no one knows where the entrance to the blocked off section is. But, I mean, the catacombs are huge as is. I’d wager we haven’t even explored half the section we know about.”

"Woah. I kinda want to find that entrance, if that's even allowed."

I shook my head in earnest this time. “I asked my Matron once, and she said it was strictly forbidden. On pain of death, unsurprisingly. But, speaking about stuff that’s found down there, I want you to have something.” I got to my feet and walked over to my end table, opened the top drawer, and began to rifle through the contents. Finally, I exclaimed, “Aha!”, and pulled out a necklace, decorated with little ivory beads, and a little jade skull hanging from the centre. I walked back over and held it out to her with a smile. “Yours. It’s a gift.”

She took the necklace cautiously, and eyed it. She mumbled to herself, "Such precision, such beauty, and it matches my eyes!" She looked up at me. "Thank you! It's perfect!" She placed the necklace around her neck, and smiled brightly. "How do I look? Apart from the blood on my shirt, of course." I didn't expect how happy she would be from a gift so small.

I clasped my hands and grinned. “It looks just beautiful on you! It really accents your eyes and skin! The moment I saw you, I knew I had to give you this necklace. I found it in the catacombs.”

"Now why would something like this be buried down there?"

I raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think? I found it on a dead guy. Or girl. Not sure which. Just that they were ‘dead, dead, dead, any questions?’ type of dead. But don’t worry, the necklace isn’t cursed or anything like that.”

"Okay, good. It still looks absolutely stunning." She smiled warmly, still admiring the jewelry.

“That’s great! So, since it’s almost-” I looked over at the large grandfather clock in the corner. “-Almost 10:00, would you like to… Get to bed?” I didn’t notice that I was tapping my two index fingers together in embarrassment.

"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything else to talk about, sure. Do you have anything I can sleep in? I don't want to sleep in these bloodstained clothes."

I scratched my head in thought. “Well, if you don’t mind the style, then I have another night gown! Another spare, considering one’s mine, of course. Well, they’re both mine, but…” I trailed off when I realized I was blathering.

"Yeah, a night gown would work just fine." Shizu stood up, and discarded with her light jacket.

I turned my head and walked over to the wardrobes, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor. I opened the second to bottom drawer on the nearest wardrobe, and pulled out my black nightgown, and then a red one for Shizu. I didn’t turn around, but instead held out the gown behind me. “Here.”

She gingerly took the gown from me, and after a few seconds I could hear her slightly struggle, but within a minute she spoke, "Finished. Now, I'll let you have your privacy."

I turned around to see her clad in the crimson gown, her bloodstained clothing discarded in what she assumed correctly was my hamper. I nodded to her, and she turned her back as I unclipped my long black cloak and hung it on the wardrobe door. Next went the vest, then the white blazer. After that, my red skirt and leggings. To finish it off, I removed my arm strap and headband, placing each in its respective place. I then fished my arms inside the gown and pulled it over my head and down. After a quick smoothing over, I said, “Okay, I’m good.”

"Alright, I'll let you get comfortable first." She seemed to keep her gaze on the ground, stealing occasional glances at me. "This gown is really comfortable, by the way. Thanks."

“Eh, you’re welcome.” I walked slowly over to the bed, trying also not to look at her, but letting my gaze dart once every few seconds. I plopped down, and immediately burrowed into the heap of pillows. A second later, I surfaced at the inside of the bed, next to the wall. I peered out from between the pillows. “Now you get the outside.” 

She did as she was told, and plopped down on the outside of the bed, quickly making herself comfortable, seeming to naturally prefer being able to see the door. "Goodnight, Izaya."

Surprisingly, I was suddenly almost half-asleep. “Nyaaaa… Goodnight…"


End file.
